Visionary director David Lynch has died at the age of 78. His family shared the news on social media on Thursday afternoon. No cause of death was revealed, though Lynch, a long-time smoker, announced in 2024 that he had been diagnosed with emphysema.
“It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch,” an announcement on Lynch’s Facebook page reads. “We would appreciate some privacy at this time. There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us. But, as he would say, ‘Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.’ It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.”
Born in Missoula, Montana, in 1946, Lynch began his artistic pursuits as a painter before transitioning to film in the late 1960s. His surrealist films, which often centered on women, garnered him both a cult following and critical acclaim for his experimental, inventive storytelling. His first full-length feature, 1977’s disturbing horror-comedy Eraserhead, was followed by a string of classics: 1980’s biographical The Elephant Man (which earned him a Best Director Oscar nod), 1986’s Isabella Rossellini and Lauren Dern-starring neo-noir Blue Velvet, 1990’s Palme d’Or-winning romantic drama Wild at Heart, and 2001’s Naomi Watts-starring, Hollywood send-up Mulholland Drive. His last feature film was 2006’s dream-like experimental thriller Inland Empire.
In a 2017 interview with W, Dern, who starred in four Lynch projects, including Wild at Heart and Inland Empire (in addition to Blue Velvet), said, “I’m always excited and surprised by what he asks me to play. Even in the beginning, I signed on because of David. He inspires that trust.”
Lynch was also known for his eerie murder mystery television series Twin Peaks (1990-91), which earned him two Emmy nominations and foreshadowed a generational obsession with true crime. Lynch followed that up with a 1992 film prequel and a limited series in 2017. He also directed the first adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel, Dune, with Kyle MacLachlan in the Paul Atreides role now played by Timothée Chalamet. It was MacLachlan’s first film role (and one of many in Lynch’s projects, including Twin Peaks), and in an Instagram post, the actor paid tribute to his friend:
“Forty-two years ago, for reasons beyond my comprehension, David Lynch plucked me out of obscurity to star in his first and last big budget movie,” MacLachlan wrote of being cast in Dune. “He clearly saw something in me that even I didn’t recognize. I owe my entire career, and life really, to his vision…David was in tune with the universe and his own imagination on a level that seemed to be the best version of human. He was not interested in answers because he understood that questions are the drive that make us who we are. They are our breath.”
Lynch’s cultural influence extended beyond his films and TV series; in an effort to promote and teach the practice of Transcendental Meditation—which he began practicing in 1973—to vulnerable populations like veterans, at-risk youth, and refugees, he started the charitable David Lynch Foundation, also known as the Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace. He was also beloved by the fashion and music worlds, directing music videos for artists like Nine Inch Nails and commercials for fashion houses like Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Dior, and Calvin Klein. (He also created and released his own music, including three studio albums influenced by the blues.) In 2020, he received an honorary Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oscars.
Lynch, who was married four times, is survived by two daughters and two sons.
